One benefit of having a political system as stuck as
California’s is that Gov. Jerry Brown should be able to think of his health
first and take as much time as he needs to rest up and recover from the removal
of a cancerous growth – the very common basal cell carcinoma — on his nose.
Get well soon, governor. Though your office says you’re still working — but
not going out in public for a few days – you should feel no shame about getting
whatever rest you need. Everyone, from your
allies to Republican legislators, will be in the very same place that you left
them when you get back.
That said,
I am a little bit curious how much attention will be paid to the way the
administration handled this announcement.
A couple
Thursdays ago, on April 21, Brown made an appearance in Santa Clarita with a
small bandage on his nose. This was the first Brown event I’d been to in a
couple weeks, and I asked reporters if this was new. It was. When a Sacramento
Bee reporter asked about the bandage, Anne Gust Brown said the governor had had
something removed but it wasn’t cancerous.
Nine days
later, the email announcement arrived that Brown had had a cancerous growth
removed from his nose. This removal happened on Friday. John Myers of KQED
reported in his blog: "The Brown camp seem to have kept the health news quiet
for as long as they could. The Guv actually had the procedure Friday. They also
didn’t tell a lot of folks; it was yours truly who broke the news late Saturday
to the guy that would have to step in should Brown not be up to the job, Lt.
Gov. Gavin Newsom."
Should
there be a push for more disclosure of the 73-year-old governor’s health? I’m
not sure, but I tend to think not. I’m generally in favor of disclosure – and
perhaps some medical detail from Brown’s doctor on his prognosis would be
useful. But Brown isn’t a president; he’s a governor with limited powers – too
limited, in my view – to do very much in a state where most big decisions have
already been made by the voters. And in the unlikely event he couldn’t go on,
would there be big political impact? He has a lieutenant governor of the same
party.
No, the
only real thing to do is to send good wishes and hope for the best.
And
remember to wear sunscreen.